Peter Boyles used his platform as host of the KBDI Channel 12 public television program Colorado Inside Out to praise the presidential bid of U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO), saying Tancredo "says the right things" and has "a tremendous chance" to affect the Republican Party platform. But Boyles did not note that he has helped raise money for Tancredo's campaign for president.

During the March 30 broadcast of KBDI Channel 12's Colorado Inside Out, host Peter Boyles touted U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo's (R-CO) presidential bid by saying Tancredo "says the right things" and has "a tremendous chance" to "affect a plank in the platform" of the Republican Party. However, Boyles failed to disclose to viewers that he has helped raise funds for Tancredo's presidential bid -- an omission similar to one he has made on his 630 KHOW-AM show.

Opening the segment, Boyles asked the program's four panelists to comment on Tancredo's presidential compaign. Boyles noted that while Tancredo trails the front-running candidates in fundraising, the Coloradan still "likes the fact that he's getting a lot of smaller but numerous contributions and support."

Boyles' guests then offered their opinions about Tancredo's race. Pollster and political commentator Floyd Ciruli said he didn't think Tancredo, whom Ciruli dubbed "a dissident on immigration," would "get anywhere in that party." Referring to Tancredo's anti-immigration platform, Ciruli said that Tancredo was "the radical person on an important issue" but that "it's not the right issue." Boyles responded:

BOYLES: I disagree. I mean, I -- like I said, I -- I know the man very, very well. I think he says the right things. But this is a man that, I think four years ago, Karl Rove called on the phone and told him, do not darken the door of the White House -- those words. As for the establishment -- I don't know what that even means anymore in the Republican Party. And what he's trying to do, I think at best, is affect a plank in the platform. And I think he has a tremendous chance to do that. And, you hide and watch on those polls.

Despite noting that Tancredo is "getting a lot of smaller ... contributions and support," Boyles failed to note his own fundraising efforts to help Tancredo's presidential bid. As the Rocky Mountain News reported (accessed through the Nexis database), on February 25 a fundraiser for Tancredo "was emceed by talk radio [host] ... Peter Boyles at Cool River Cafe in Greenwood Village." The Newsreported February 8 on its website that "[c]onservative talkers Peter Boyles and [Newsradio 850 KOA's] Robert 'Gunny Bob' Newman will share the emcee duties at a Feb. 25 fundraiser for Tancredo's newly-formed presidential exploratory committee, Tancredo for a Secure America." The News noted that Tancredo's "talk radio buddies" would give his "White House ambitions an off-the-air boost."

Similarly, as Colorado Media Matters has noted, during the March 28 broadcast of The Peter Boyles Show, Tancredo appeared as a guest to talk about his potential presidential campaign, but Boyles did not disclose that he has helped raise funds for Tancredo.

From the March 30 broadcast of KBDI Channel 12's Colorado Inside Out:

BOYLES: All right. U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo, a veteran of this roundtable, in fact, is expected to make his long shot -- boy, you talk about long shot -- presidential bid official on Iowa talk radio next Monday morning. Tancredo admits his million-dollar war chest is dwarfted by the front-runners in the race, but -- and he likes the fact that he's getting a lot of smaller but numerous contributions and support. Now, Tancredo is still leaving the decision to run for another term in the 6th CD up on the air. So what do you think of Tancredo's run, even though he's a long shot to win the nomination? Will his entry get immigration, indeed this kind of thing that's happening, more coverage in the race?

[...]

CIRULI: He is simply being sort of the radical person on an important issue -- it's not the right issue. The other thing that's shaping this election a lot is that Republicans are really concerned about winning. So that the real debate going on between these front-runners, as was pointed out here, is who has the best possibility of beating Hillary, or whoever the Democrats put up. No one thinks Tom's that; in other words, on the -- on the probably the most important definition here -- criteria for selecting your next candidate -- Tom is not going to show up. He has alienated most of the party establishment. That hurts him with at least some fundraising and some activities. It mainly hurts him if he doesn't decide to run for his congressional seat as to what he's going to do next. He could obviously find different jobs, but it won't be in the next administration. I think he ought to, as -- I do think he'll know very quickly as to whether or not this is possible, and then he ought to make a decision. If he wants to run in the 6th, he's safe. He will be the congressman from the 6th.

BOYLES: [inaudible]

CIRULI: But I don't think he's going to be -- this does not look to me like a year for a dissident on immigration to get anywhere in that party.

BOYLES: I disagree. I mean, I -- like I said, I -- I know the man very, very well. I think he says the right things. But this is a man that, I think four years ago, Karl Rove called on the phone and told him, do not darken the door of the White House -- those words. As for the establishment -- I don't know what that even means anymore in the Republican Party. And what he's trying to do, I think at best, is affect a plank in the platform. And I think he has a tremendous chance to do that. And, you hide and watch on those polls.

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